Regrowth
by EtheralNocturne
Summary: Lillian returns to Konohana as an adult after having moved to the City as a teenager. Will it be anything like she remembered and hoped it would be?
1. Chapter 1: Home

Chapter One: Home

The room was musty, with a faint whisper of long-forgotten cinnamon lingering on the dust. Lillian's hands trailed across the crisp, faded curtains as she drew them open. The view was what she had imagined it would look like now, long grass waved at the thin vines which had started to rust out the drain pipes on the roof. Beyond the grass it was heavily wooded, tall oaks, pines and yews.

It needed work, but it felt nice to be home after so long.

It hadn't been quite the entrance Lillian had hoped for, though. Her journey from the city to the mountain had been easy, and she wasn't sure what had happened to make her lose focus and fall off her horse. The last thing she remembered before seeing Ina's face was wondering how people would feel about her return. And whether they would even remember her at all. Isis, her white pony, had stopped as soon as she fell and had made such a commotion that Rutger and Ina had both left the cooking festival to see what had happened. After an awkward conversation which felt more like a competition than the festivals did, Lillian chose to live in Konohana. It was far from a spontaneous decision, she was on her way to Konohana.

As she remembered yesterday, her pounding head reminded her of what needed to be done today. After spending the night at the town hall with Ina, Lillian had completed the transaction. Lillian had purchased her old family home. Ina had allowed the sale to be completed for next to nothing, so long as Lillian assured her that she would use the farm to benefit the village. A friend of hers had informed her that it had been on the market since her family moved and it was time for her to come home. But now that she was here she could see how much had changed, how much people had changed, and how much of a commitment this place was going to be. She wondered if she had done the right thing. She had finished studying environmental science in the city a year ago, before working for the city's beautification council. She worked there with Reina, a childhood friend who had ended up studying some courses with her at uni. It was after Reina moved that she realised how lonely she felt. And it was after she told Reina this that she decided she would be moving back home.

Lillian started to feel dizzy standing, so she went back to her bed and laid her head on the dusty pillow. She rolled over to find small green mould growing on the pillow and she quickly sat up. As she did, she heard a deep knocking at the door. The door was heavy, and it stuck when she tried to open it.

"Just a second," she moaned, "this stupid door is all screwed up".

"Hang on," came a deep voice. "Step back for a minute!"

Lillian moved to the side, not sure who that voice belonged to, but hoping they could fix the damn door. Seconds later there was a huge scraping noise and a cloud of dust blew into the air. Behind the dust stood a young man, with tribal armband tattoos and a scruffy ponytail. He looked at her, smiling.

_He still has a nice smile_, she thought.

Ina walked past both of them, and with an air of hurriedness waved at the man.

"Lillian, this is Kana. He runs the animal shop here. He's fixed up your cart and patched up your horse for you. I'm sorry but I have to get going, Ayame is freaking out because there's been an injury and I need to get to the clinic immediately."

With that, Ina sped out of the house, and left behind her a silence which Lillian didn't know how to break. Fortunately, she didn't have to.

Kana grabbed her by the hand, "Come with me, I'll show you what I've done!"

His hands were rough but his grip was gentle. Just outside of her door was her cart, looking worse for wear but better than she expected.

"I patched it up with some timber I had around. It's not perfect, but I wanted to get this to you as soon as I could. As for..."

"Isis!" Lillian exclaimed as her horse nuzzled into her shoulder. "I'm so glad you didn't get hurt!"

Kana smiled. He had nice teeth. And the same smirk he had before Lillian had moved to the city.

"Yeeeeeah she's fine! I kept her in my stable last night, but only because you couldn't be here. I think she's glad to be home!"

"So am I!" Lillian blushed as she realised what she had said. Her right hand moved to her head, which was pounding harder than it had been before. As she moved her hand, she noticed one of Kana's dark brown eyebrows was raised.

"Are you sure you're okay, Lillian?" he asked.

"I'll be fine. More of a bruised ego than anything else," she muttered.

She hadn't meant to be funny, but hearing Kana laugh made her feel much better.

"Anyway, how much do I owe you? You really have done such a wonderful job..."

Kana laughed again. It was deep but light. "Nothing, Lillian. I'll be calling in all sorts of requests from your farm, so I wouldn't be worried about giving me anything!" He winked as he ran his hand through his hair. Lillian bit her lip, then smiled.

"Listen, I have to get back to the shop. If you need anything though, just ask! I'll be around."

He turned and started walking down the long, dirt driveway.

"Kana?" Lillian asked and he turned back to face her. "Thankyou for everything."

He smiled and waved to her before leaving. "I'll fix that door properly for you one day!"

After putting Isis into her stable for the night, Lillian went back inside. She was tired, although she had not done much today, her head still hurt and she was feeling ill. She kicked the pillows off the bed and rested her head on her old blanket. As she closed her eyes, she could feel her stomach rumble.

_Meh... I cannot be bothered making food for myself tonight._

She could feel herself falling asleep when she hearing knocking at the door.

"It's open," she yelled, not moving from her spot.

She heard the door creak open. "Lillian! Are you okay?"

Lillian opened her eyes to see Reina standing at the end of her bed.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine" she said while rubbing her eyes. "What's up? It's nice to finally see you!"

"I could say the same to you!" she said, laughing. "I brought you some food, it's just some Daikon Salad and Mushroom Pasta, but I thought it would help for a couple of days" she said, while putting the food in the fridge.

"Reina..." Lillian started.

"Lillian, don't you dare thank me. You used to do this for me all the time at uni!" she smiled. "I'm not here to stay long... I figured you'd be tired. Plus I have to go back and help Mako prepare some specimens for tomorrow. I just wanted to know how today went."

Lillian thought about it for a moment. She thought of getting her cart back, of Isis being okay, and of her time with Kana.

"I didn't think Kana would still be living here."

Reina crossed her arms. "Lillian..."

"My day was good Reina! It was great! Magnificent!"

Reina widened her stance, and started tapping the floor softly with her left foot. "Did Kana know who you were?"

Lillian could feel her face get hot. She focused on Reina's feet. "I don't think so."

"He is an idiot, Lillian. There's a reason you never got together. Please just remember that."

Lillian kept staring at Reina's foot until it stopped tapping.

"Alright, well I'm gonna head home. Let me know if you need anything."

"Will do. Tell that uncle of yours I say hello."

"I will..." Reina looked Lillian in the eyes. "Sleep well okay?"

"Thanks Reina. Can you turn the light off on your way out please?"

Reina smiled back at Lillian as she turned the light off and closed the door. Lillian's eyes were heavy and her head was throbbing. As she lay on the bed, she closed her eyes and ran Reina's words through her mind. There was a reason she never ended up with Kana. But to Lillian, it hadn't changed what she felt.


	2. Chapter 2: Strangers Down The Line

Chapter Two: Strangers Down The Line

"I don't think you should be here," came a distant voice.

"I don't think you can give me a good reason to leave."

"She doesn't need you. She didn't come back for you. She came back here for me."

"Well I found her and brought her here. I just want to make sure she's okay…"

"You're only the hero because you beat me to her house."

"Yeah…. 'cause I'm really sure you could have picked her up and carried her here."

"I'd have found a way."

"That is such bullshit. And you know it. I don't know what your problem is with me. I thought we were friends?"

"Things are different now."

"I think you're the one who should leave."

A door slammed. Her eyes burned and a grasp of panic clutched her chest. Lillian tried to open her eyes but they stung. She felt soft flesh move across her forehead. It smelled nice, of red roses and fresh mint… like Reina.

Lillian tried to blink, slowly. Her head felt foggy and she could see a blurry blue figure. She closed her eyes again, and could hear footsteps retreating. When she opened her eyes, she could see she was not in the bed which she remembered going to sleep in. She began to feel her heart thud as she wondered where she was. Her head pounded. The room smelled like disinfectant, and the sheets on the bed were hard. There was a bunch of daffodils on the table beside her.

_Kana used to bring me daffodils. _

Footsteps again. Kana walked into the room, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair before his gaze set on Lillian.

"Lillian! You're awake!" he raced over to the bed, unsure of what to do. He had lines running across his forehead which Lillian had never seen before.

"I'm going to get Hiro, I'll be back in a sec," he said as he raced out of the room.

He returned with a young man in a white coat, stethoscope around his neck and a clipboard in hand.

"Lillian, you're in the hospital." he said. His voice was higher in pitch than she had expected. "Do you remember how you got here?"

She shook her head and wisps of hair which were normally held back by a scarf fell across her face.

"My head still hurts," she said, her throat feeling raspy.

"You had a concussion from your riding accident the other day. Kana found you unconscious at home and brought you in. We just want to run a few tests, but you should be able to go home soon."

Lillian nodded. "How long was I out for?"

"Two days. It was just a matter of waiting, we don't think any serious damage has been done." Hiro glanced at Kana, who was trying to peek at the clipboard he was holding. "I'll leave you to it, Ayame needs me to help with some other patients," he said with a smirk forming in the crease of his mouth.

Kana waited for him to leave before taking a seat on the bed beside Lillian. He stared at the flowers.

_Please say something Kana, _she thought

Kana sat on the bed, hunched, staring at the vase.

"Kana, did you bring me those?"

"Yep," he said without moving.

_That wasn't quite the conversation starter I hoped for_.

"Thanks. How long have you been here for? You look exhausted…"

He turned around and met her gaze. "Since I brought you in. I mean… I had to feed the horses and stuff, but other than that… oh don't worry by the way, I took Isis to my stable when you were admitted."

He stared at her with tired eyes. Sad eyes. He brushed the hair from her face with his fingers, moved his hand to her neck and then softly stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

Lillian looked over to the flowers beside her.

"You are my Lilly, aren't you?" he asked, still looking directly at her.

She nodded, and could feel her eyes starting to burn. A tear ran down her cheek and Kana wiped it away.

"So why didn't you tell me that you were…you?"

Lillian breathed deeply. "Lots of reasons. I wanted to see if you'd like me if you didn't know who I was. I wanted to see if you recognised me. I didn't know whether you still lived her or not…" Lillian paused as she moved her hand on top of Kana's. "And I wanted to see who you'd become without me."

Kana held her hand. "I thought it was you the first day you came into town. But it couldn't have been you. You had this amazing life in the City. That's where Lillian was. As far away from Konohana as could be."

"It wasn't like that, Kana," she said quietly.

"But then I realised," he continued, "that night. After I saw you… that it was you."

"How did you know?"

He put his head in his hands. "Because it's you, Lilly."

"I wanted to tell you that I was coming back, Kana… but I had no way of finding you."

"Reina knew where I was. You could have easily found out where I was from her." He moved his hand away from her.

"Don't you think I asked her? Hundreds of times, I asked Reina if she knew where you were. Every single fucking time she said she had no idea. I tried, Kana."

Kana stood up and sighed. He rubbed his eyes again.

"Kana," Lillian breathed, "maybe you should go home and sleep before we talk about anything."

He turned away from her and looked at the ceiling. He turned to her, arms crossed, "Do you ever wish, Lillian, that things were different?"

"Like what?"

"Like… you never moved away. Like… I didn't live here anymore. Like… we ended up together."

Lillian rubbed her hand across her browbone.

"Kana. I wish at least two of those things all the time," she looked at him and saw him staring at the yellow flowers.

"But none of those things happened. And I accepted that, Lilly. Was I happy with it? No. But I had accepted it. And now… here you are. It's like someone coming back from the dead."

Kana's eyes widened. Lillian was silent. He sat back down next to her, closer this time. He took her hand, and looked straight into her eyes. "I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just…" he sighed. "When you accept you've lost someone, you can't just pretend you never did. That's what I meant." He wiped away another of Lillian's tears. "I loved you Lilly. I loved you with all of my heart. I tried to find you in the City. I wrote to you. I even got Mako to send Reina letters addressed to you at uni. And nothing. I never got anything from you."

"Kana. I was 16 when we moved. It was impossible for me to contact you when I lived with my parents. When I was in uni I wrote to your address here. I wrote you so many letters, but when you don't hear back you just give up."

"I never received anything…"

"But you know what hurts, Kana? I was there, and you were not."

Kana's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember the promise we made? On my 18th birthday, we were going to meet on the mountaintop to see if we still felt the same. I was there, Kana. Do you know how hard it was to convince my parents to let me spend my birthday in Bluebell? I tried for Konohana, but they weren't that stupid. I was there at midnight, like we said. I stayed for hours and you were nowhere in sight. I tried Kana. I really, really tried."

Every part of Lillian was aching. She knew she still had feelings for Kana. She knew she had come to Konohana wanting to see him. But now she had no idea about what else she expected of him. She also realised she was clinging onto her memory of Kana, that she didn't really know who he was now. She also knew, however, that she felt like throwing up. Kana also noticed this and grabbed a bucket from under the bed, right before she was sick.

"Lilly, I shouldn't have brought any of this up," Kana said, his expression softening.

"I feel like I just brought all of it up," Lillian muttered.

Kana laughed. She still really liked that laugh.

"I think we have some holes in this story that need to be patched up. But more than that, I think you need to rest. I've been really selfish y'know… I shouldn't have acted like this while you're still so sick."

"It's okay," Lillian said after having a glass of water. "It's important to me too, Kana. Somewhere along the line things happened. It wasn't our entire fault."

Kana's eyes met Lillian's. "I'm sorry I blamed you. I'm sorry I've always blamed you."

Lillian smiled. She noticed how sweet Kana smelled, a pleasant combination of hay and earth, like the mountain after a day of rain.

"But I mean what I said. I let you go, Lilly."

Lillian stopped smiling. It was six years since she had moved from Konohana. Maybe she had let go of Kana, too.

"Look, I probably should get going, it's late and Doctor Ayame has been death-staring me from down the hall for at least half an hour now."

Lillian nodded and sighed.

"Umm… look. Just because I got over you doesn't mean it isn't awesome being able to see you again. I just don't know where it leaves things."

Lillian looked up at Kana. "It sounds like it leaves… things… nowhere."

Kana shrugged. He bent down and kissed her forehead. "I'll see you soon, Lilly."

"I hope so Kana."

As he left the room, Lillian breathed in sharply and Doctor Ayame marched in.

"He wasn't bothering you, was he?" she asked as she scribbled on Lillian's chart.

"No, doctor." Lillian paused. She didn't want to ask, but it came out anyway. "Was Kana really here the whole time I was?"

Ayame smiled. "Yes."

"Did he look like he hated me?"

_That sounded so stupid, why did I ask that?_

Ayame chuckled. "Hahaha! No. People don't tend to stay by the side of those they hate." She paused and looked at Lillian. "That is a big frown for hearing that somebody doesn't hate you."

"Oh… I didn't realise… that's just my thinking face."

Ayame laughed again. "I think you need sleep. By the way, if you wanted to get into Kana's good books, you could try giving him anything with fish in it. Sweetfish are always nice this time of year."

"Yeah… I used to make him crab omelettes often…" Lillian said.

"Oh?" Ayame looked at Lillian as her faced flushed. Ayame's face relaxed and her eyes widened. "Yeah, people have been talking about you. Nothing bad. Mostly… curious. And concerned. I wouldn't worry, it's a small town and when there's something to talk about, well… it gets talked about."

Lillian could feel the tears on her face again.

"I heard some of what Kana said to you, Lillian."

"Do you think he meant it?"

Ayame paused. She finished writing and put the chart back on the end of the bed. "I think Kana sounded confused. And tired… very tired. All I'm going to say is that if he felt nothing for you, he wouldn't have stayed with you, or looked after your horse. But Kana is too tough to let himself get hurt again. Anyway, take these tablets, they'll help you get to sleep."

Lillian swallowed the two purple capsules.

"Thanks, Ayame. I hope you're right."

Ayame smiled. "I'm always right."


	3. Chapter 3: Memories And Dust

Chapter Three: Memories And Dust

Lillian's face scrunched as the daylight fell upon her. After opening the curtains, Hiro held Lillian's wrist, testing her pulse. Lillian rubbed her face with her free hand.

"Good morning Lillian!" Hiro chirped. "It's been a long time!"

"People really need to stop bombing me with info when I've just woken up…" Lillian groaned.

"HA!" Hiro laughed. "Sorry Lillian, I could not help myself."

"It's nice to see you too, Hiro. Even if it's because I'm in the hospital."

"I am flattered to hear that. How did you sleep?"

"Really well. Those pills knocked me out cold."

"Good. Do you feel any better this morning?"

"Well… my head has stopped hurting."

"Good. Great! Let me just check your heart." Hiro slid the cold steel of the stethoscope underneath Lillian's nightgown. She noticed a faint flush of red grow across his face.

"I take it you don't often have to get so close to old friends," she said, raising one eyebrow.

"No, that is very true!" he smirked. "But I am not complaining!"

Lillian laughed. She had always liked Hiro. "So since when did you become a doctor?"

"I am still in training. After this year under Ayame's supervision, I will be fully qualified." He looked at her, his fringe almost getting into his eyes. "May I ask you something with the utmost respect?"

"Yeah, of course you can, Hiro."

"Why the hell are you back in Konohana?" Now it was Lillian's turn to blush. "I think you just answered my question, Lillian."

"Do you think I'm stupid for coming back? That it's a futile exercise?"

"No! Not at all! Why would I?"

"Well I do." Lillian looked back at the flowers she had received from Kana.

Hiro sat in the chair next to the bed. "I do not think you are stupid. I am not quite sure how to put what I mean without being offensive… because that is not my intention…it is just…"

Hiro stopped and looked at the flowers Lillian was so interested in.

"It is just that… when you moved. I was sad at saying goodbye to my friend. I knew how hard it would be to not have you around. And I also knew how hard it would be to contact you… your parents were very strict. But Kana… Kana could not handle it. He went… a little crazy."

"What? What does 'crazy' mean?"

"It means that he could not handle not having you around. He tried to see you so many times and every time it did not happen, he came back more and more depressed. People here started treating him differently after you moved. I never saw anything wrong with what had happened… but Kana was like a brother to me so perhaps I was biased."

"People seem to treat Kana okay now though, right?"

Hiro sighed. "Yes. Sort of. It took a long time and a lot of proving for Kana to show that he was a good person. That he is a good person. I do not really think he cared so much about that, though."

There was silence as Lillian looked at Hiro. He still looked so boyish, even though he was as old as she was.

"He never came to visit me on the mountain, Hiro." Hiro squinted his eyes. "Oh you can't act as though you don't know what I mean. He never turned up on my 18th birthday. It was our chance to be seen as a legitimate couple. But he rejected me."

"No. No, Lillian… it was not quite like that. Even though it had been two years since he made that promise, he was ready to go. He had convinced me to go with him, as moral support I suppose. We heard you walk to the mountaintop with Reina. We heard how happy both of you sounded with your lives, plans for university, excited about what the City had to offer. As we neared the peak, Kana stopped…" Hiro trailed off.

"But why? Reina left me at the peak, she wasn't there to intrude…"

"He stopped because he knew you would not be able to have the life you were excited about if you chose to be with him. After that we turned around and went back to Konohana."

"He did it for me?" Lillian knew Hiro was telling the truth. He was an awful liar. But he was staring her in the eyes, with no sound of hesitation in his voice.

"Do not judge him too harshly. I think he did the right thing. You are smarter and more worldly than you could have been if you stayed with Kana at that point in time."

"I don't think you're right."

Hiro shrugged. "Maybe not. Just… nobody likes getting hurt, even if they are the ones who hurt themselves the most. It cannot be easy for Kana to have you around, unexpectedly, like this. Look, I think we should get you out of here, you look fine to go home. I'll get everything together for you."

It was midday when she left the hospital, and Lillian couldn't stop thinking about what Hiro had said. She had been blaming Kana for abandoning her for four years now, and now that she knew that he hadn't meant to hurt her, she wasn't sure what to feel. While a large reason she came back to Konohana was to see Kana, she wondered if maybe she had come back to get some answers from him, rather than to try to be with him again.

She breathed in the air deeply. It was sweet and clean… much purer than the heavy air in the City. She slowly strolled home, carrying a fluttering feeling in her chest as she knew she would have to pass Kana's shop on her way.

As she approached it, she took in another deep breath, put her hand on the door handle and pressed down. She was met with a clicking of cold metal. It was locked. She knocked at the door, wondering where Kana would be. If nothing else, she still wanted to bring Isis back home. She knocked again, staring into the bunch of flowers from the hospital. As she turned around to go back, she gasped as a hand grabbed her waist.

"Kana! You scared the hell out of me!" Lillian said as Kana erupted into fits of laughter.

"I couldn't help it, Lillian! You were totally off in your own world" he said as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You're so funny!" she said, lightly punching him in the chest and smiling without meaning to.

"My bad! Come on in, I'll make you some tea."

Kana unlocked the door and waited for Lillian to enter before locking the door behind them. The house was exactly as she had remembered, with the living area behind the shopfront. The horse statue Kana's father had made still sat at the entrance of the living area. Kana gestured for her to sit down at the dining table.

"I'm glad Hiro let you out of the hospital already. That guy can get a bit paranoid sometimes," Kana said while placing the kettle on the stove.

"I'm pretty sure Ayame made him!" Lillian smiled. She placed her flowers on the table next to her.

Kana laughed. "You're probably right there. You're also pretty deep in thought. Um…" he rubbed the side of his face. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. It was pretty dumb of me to act how I did."

"No… it's okay. I don't know what I expected of you Kana. But I'm sorry I just turned up without thinking about what it would mean for you." Lillian felt herself smiling as she saw Kana's smile.

"Let's forget about it, hey?" he placed her cup of tea in front of her. "But what's on your mind?"

Lillian paused. She stirred her tea. "Your place is exactly as it was when I was last here."

"Well I've never been one for interior decorating…"

Lillian laughed, nervously. "I suppose it's a bit weird being back here. You know, I imagined it often, being back here. But actually being here… it's weird. Not bad, though." She ran her hands through her hair. As strange as it felt to be inside a memory, she really was happy to be here.

"I suppose it's gotta be better than sitting with me on the bed, waiting for a pregnancy test result, right?" Kana's mouth was smirking, but his eyes were serious.

Lillian's eyes met his. "It's probably some kind of an improvement," she said quietly.

They both sat in silence for a few moments, Lillian not sure what to say and Kana wishing he hadn't brought it up.

Kana reached out for Lillian's hand across the table. "That was a day of bad timing, huh? We were both freaking out at the thought of it, then as we were waiting for the test results, your brother had to come into the shop."

"It probably was a bad move for me to leave the pregnancy kit box on the shop counter, huh?" Lillian said, her hands starting to tingle from Kana's touch.

Kana shrugged, "only as bad of a move as not locking the door. Which is why I'm kind of paranoid about that now."

"I noticed," said Lillian. "I didn't think anybody locked their doors in Konohana…"

"Well, I learnt my lesson. Not gonna get caught in any situation like that again!"

"I still can't believe Phillip went and told our parents. I thought he'd have kept it secret… especially seeing as the test was negative anyway."

"He was doing the right thing, really. I just wish your parents hadn't reacted the way they did."

"Moving to the City was pretty extreme. I never wanted to leave. They made it pretty much impossible to contact anyone from Konohana… except for Reina and Nori of course… I haven't even seen Nori yet…" Lillian thought about her friend. After the move, Nori and Lillian had fallen out of contact. She had often wondered how she was going, and whether or not they would still get along as they used to.

"I know you never wanted to go," he squeezed her hand and let it go.

"Listen, I better get going… I've gotta check on the farm." Lillian stood up, smoothing her skirt.

"I dropped Isis off this morning… she should be in your stable."

"Thanks Kana. Thanks also for…you know… kinda saving my life and getting me to the hospital. Hey, what were you doing at my house when you found me, anyway?"

Kana bit his lip and scratched the back of his neck. "I'd realised who you were and had to see you. When you didn't answer the door I got worried and busted in…"

Lillian moved over to Kana and wrapped her arms around his neck. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. He could smell her perfume… she smelled of vanilla, lavender and patchouli. He closed his eyes as she whispered, "thanks for everything, Kana."

He gently pushed her away and she felt her cheeks flush.

"Anytime, Lillian," he smiled. "Listen, it's the Cherry Blossom Festival tomorrow. You should come along… just bring a plate of food to Town Hall tomorrow around noon…" colour rushed to his face. "I'm sure Nori would be happy to see you there. Not to mention the rest of the town…"

"Definitely. I'll be there with bells on," said Lillian as she walked out of Kana's place. "Bye Kana."

"See ya tomorrow Lillian," Kana replied, closing the door.

As soon as Lillian got home, she checked the stables. Isis was there, happily chewing on some hay. She brushed her coat gently. "Well Isis, maybe things are starting to get better after all," Lillian said as she fed Isis a treat.

The afternoon shadows were growing long when Lillian finally reached her front door. There was a piece of folded paper stuck onto it. She pulled it off and opened it.

_Hey Lillian,_

_Sorry I busted your old door… but I fixed it up. It shouldn't give you any more problems._

_-Kana_

Lillian smiled. Things were getting better.


	4. Chapter 4: Lovers Out Of Time

Chapter Four: Lovers Out Of Time

Lillian was nervous as she walked to the village. She hadn't seen everybody in town yet, and it was overwhelming having to see so many people at once. As she passed the clinic, she heard a clattering of dishes and voices, and soon saw everybody talking and laughing. She made her way through the crowd to put her plate of curry dumplings on the tables set up near the river. Looking into the crowd, she felt unsure about who she should talk to first. Fortunately, Kana saw her and was making his way over to the table she was standing near.

"I'm glad you came! It's awesome when everybody gets together to party!" He flashed his smile at her. His smile was what she had first noticed about him. It was genuine. Kana never smiled when he didn't mean it.

"Me too! I'd forgotten how beautiful it is when the trees are in full blossom. The smell is so sweet!"

Lillian looked around and noticed everybody was talking in groups; the children were together with Ayame and Mako. Hiro, Nori and Ina were talking together. There were some unfamiliar faces in there too.

"Kana… someone's missing. Where's Reina?"

Kana shrugged. "Beats me. I'm not sure I care."

"What do you mean?"

"We've been fighting a lot lately. The last I saw of her was when you were in hospital."

"And…? What happened?"

Kana's smile had vanished. He crossed his arms. "She told me to leave a hell of a lot of times."

"That doesn't seem like enough to get you so angry. What else did she say?"

Kana paused. "That you came back to this village because of her. And that I had nothing to do with it."

"Oh. So you're jealous, huh?" Lillian asked playfully, her stomach fluttering at the thought Kana had been jealous because of her.

"I'm confused because that's such a random thing to say. I didn't even mention anything about it, and she just said it." Kana noticed Lillian suddenly wasn't smiling anymore. "But I mean… it'd be pretty fair to be jealous about that too, after all."

Lillian half-smiled. He hadn't felt jealous over her, but he was at least being nice. "That is odd. Maybe I should go see if she wants to come out. She can get stuck into her work sometimes."

"Hey, I mean… go for it. I'm not though, I'm gonna hit up some of this tasty grub! But um, when you come back it'd be great to talk or something, so make sure you come find me!"

"Definitely!" Lillian said, trying her best not to sound too-enthusiastic.

Lillian crossed the bridge and headed towards Reina's house. She knocked on the heavy wooden door. Nothing. She knocked again. This time she was sure she could hear shuffling footsteps inside. "Reina, I know you're in there. I just wanted you to come out and have some fun with everyone…"

Reina opened the door, crossed her arms and stared at Lillian. "Sometimes I prefer the company of plants to people," she said before slamming the door shut.

_That was… odd_, Lillian thought.

She took a few deep breaths and headed back to the party. She saw Kana at the buffet with a plate full of dumplings.

"Is Reina coming?"

She shook her head.

Kana looked at her with concern. "Um, do you want something to eat?"

"Nah, I'm okay thanks. I don't feel well."

"Are you…" Kana started asking as a flutter of pink breezed by him and flung itself onto Lillian.

"Lillian! I'm so happy you're here!" the girl released Lillian from her embrace.

"Nori? It is you!" Lillian smiled and hugged her again. "It's been so long!"

"I know! I'm looking forward to being able to catch up! But for now I have to head over to my Grandpa, he tends to eat way too much at festivals and it's bad for his blood sugar levels. But we need to catch up soon!"

"Yeah that'd be great!" Lillian giggled and turned to Kana.

"I told you she'd be happy to see you! Let's go see Hiro!"

Lillian spent the afternoon talking to the villagers and the day soon slipped away. She was talking to Hiro and Ayame when she shivered and realised that the sunset was starting to take hold of the sky.

"Are you cold, Lillian? I do not want you getting sick again," inquired Hiro.

"No, I'm fine!"

"Excellent! You will be able to attend the after-party then!"

"You have an after-party for the Cherry Blossom Festival?" Lillian raised an eyebrow. _This village doesn't need much of an occasion to celebrate, _she thought.

"Kana!" Hiro yelled. "Are we having the after-party at your place this year?"

Kana walked over, smirking. "Not after last year, Hiro. Remember how somebody had a little too much apricot wine and puked all over my kitchen table?"

Hiro's face turned a deep shade of scarlet. Doctor Ayame burst into laughter. "I was so worried about you that night, Hiro. But I think enough time just passed for me to remember how funny it was seeing you so intoxicated."

"It was not funny…" Hiro mumbled.

"Anyway! I reckon we could maybe have it in the tunnel. Eileen from Bluebell has started clearing it out. It's only a small cave at the moment, but it's somewhere to gather that isn't my house." Kana raised his eyebrows at Hiro.

"Sounds good to me! Will everyone be there?"

"I reckon so! Except for the kids and the old people," Kana answered.

"Kana! That wasn't very respectful!" Ayame exclaimed.

"It wasn't?" Kana scratched his head. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get some lights set up in there before it gets too dark. Spread the word, be there around nightfall." Kana looked at Lillian, his mouth moving to say something, then stopping.

"I'll be there in a bit. I'm just gonna try Reina again and see if she'll come too."

Kana shrugged. "Okay. Just so long as you come, that's the main thing."

"Sure," Lillian said as she turned to once again see Reina.

As Lillian approached Reina's house, she saw her sitting below one of the cherry trees in Mako's orchard. She sat down next to her. Reina continued staring straight ahead.

"Reina, will you come to the party with us?" Lillian asked, trying to see what Reina was looking at. Reina remained silent. "If you won't… can you tell me why you're being so cold when I haven't done anything?"

Reina's eyes widened and she turned to Lillian. "Lillian… you're my best friend. I see that you and Kana are already getting closer. And... It's just that… you and I know so much about each other. We know each other's hopes and dreams. We know each other inside out."

"Of course Reina…"

"But. You never had any of that with Kana. You don't now, and you didn't then. I know you thought you loved him, but you were 16. And you didn't know anything about him. I always wondered if it was just your physical relationship that made you think you loved each other. And…" Reina started pulling at blades of grass in front of her crossed legs. "I don't want any fantasy you have of being with him ruining our friendship."

Lillian's mouth opened and she felt as though somebody had punched her in the throat.

Reina looked at Lillian. "I'm not going to the party tonight. But I think you should. You should catch up with everyone and have some fun. I just want to finish some research I've been working on."

"Okay." Lillian stood up. "I still think you've not told me everything. But I'll leave you alone now."

As Lillian walked to the tunnel, night had started falling. She couldn't shake what Reina had said to her. As desperately as she wanted it to be a lie, she knew there was truth to what Reina had said. She didn't really know all that much about Kana. While she was in school it was fun being with Kana. It was like having a double-life, because nobody else knew about it. And she had fallen in love with the person he was. But maybe it wasn't as deep as she had thought.

When she reached the tunnel, she could hear thudding music. As she walked in she heard Hiro yell, "Lillian's finally here!" followed by Ayame telling him to calm down and drink some water.

Kana walked over to greet her. "Haha! Yeah Hiro is a bit of a lightweight! Festivals are the only time he ever lets his hair down!" Lillian smiled with little enthusiasm. Kana frowned. "It's Reina, isn't it? What's bugging you?"

Lillian sighed. "Mostly. Anyway, she didn't wanna come. But I'm here," she smiled as Kana passed her a glass of apricot wine.

"It's nice to know I can legally give you that now" Kana grinned.

"Not funny Kana," Lillian laughed and took a deep drink.

"Cheers to you being back" said Kana and he clinked his glass against hers.

After some more wine and conversation with the other villagers, Lillian's mood had still not improved. She excused herself from talking with Mako and went to grab another drink. Kana followed her.

"I think you need to talk about what's got you down, 'cause I'm starting to wonder if it's something more than just Reina. You look totally bummed, Lillian." Lillian remained silent, unsure of what to say. "Listen, we can go for a walk. You don't even have to say anything."

Lillian nodded. Kana grabbed her hand and they snuck away from the tunnel. They walked towards the mountain, in silence. The moon was full and transformed everything around them into silver. Kana led them to the riverbank and as they sat, he put his hand around Lillian's waist. She rested her head on his chest. It was firm and she could feel his heartbeat rising. He slowly ran his fingers through her hair.

"It feels like old times," Lillian could hear his words through his chest.

"It does. Kana… Reina thinks that we didn't really love each other. What do you think about that?"

Kana pushed Lillian off his chest and turned to face her front-on. He ran his hands down her arms, holding her hands when he reached them. "Lillian, I loved you with all my heart."

"She also thinks we never really knew each other," she said without looking at him.

"Maybe. But I knew who you were when we were together… that felt like that was enough. I mean, wasn't it?"

"I guess it was." Lillian moved closer to Kana, trying to read what his eyes were saying. He moved her hair behind her ear.

"I would like to get to know who you've become, though. Properly this time." Kana pressed his lips against Lillian's. He parted them with his tongue and found hers. Lillian felt her thighs start tingling and she wrapped them around Kana's waist. Kana broke the kiss to look into her eyes. Her heart was racing, he could feel it pressed up against his. Lillian bit his bottom lip softly and heard him sharply exhale as her hands started moving up and down his chest. He slowly slid one hand along the inside of her shirt, moving up the side of her waist.

Suddenly, Hiro's voice could be heard flowing down to the riverbank. "Come on Ayame, we must find Kana and Lillian!"

"Hiro. This is a terrible idea for so many reasons. I think you should leave them alone."

"They would want to have fun with us!" Hiro exclaimed.

Lillian jumped off Kana and they both stood up.

"Shit…" Kana whispered. "Why does this suddenly feel like it was a terrible idea?"

"What do we do?"

"C'mon, let's just go meet them. Nothing happened."

"Nothing happened?" Lillian's heart sank.

"There you are!" Hiro yelled. "We are waiting for you to come back!"

"Yeah we're coming. Lillian just wasn't feeling well."

"Is she okay now?" Ayame asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm fine now, I just needed to get away from the noise. It was making me feel ill," Lillian explained as they walked back to the tunnel together.

"I think it's probably a good time for everyone to be calling it a night anyway. It's midnight, there have been no injuries yet and I'd like the end this day as nicely as it started."

When they reached the tunnel, the music had stopped and only Mako remained.

Mako stood up and held an arm out to Ayame. "Allow me to take you home."

Ayame blushed and accepted. "Only if we take Hiro, too."

Mako looked disappointed but nodded. "Kana, will you take Lillian home? I want to have peace of mind knowing that everybody gets home safely."

"Uh. Yeah. No problems."

They walked back to Lillian's house in silence. Lillian's heart hadn't stopped racing all night, and it showed no signs of stopping now. When they reached her door, Lillian felt very unsure of what to do.

"Um. Thanks for today," Lillian said. "Where do we go from here?"

Kana pushed her against the front door, put his hands on her hips and kissed her deeply.

"There are so many things I wanna do to you right now, Lillian. But I can't. I'm sorry for what happened tonight. I didn't ask you to come to the festival for that…"

He turned around and left Lillian standing there, speechless.


	5. Chapter 5: The Woman You Stole

Chapter Five: The Woman You Stole

It was now midday and Lillian had spent all morning sowing seeds and tending her crops. She had only just gone inside to fetch a glass of water when there was knocking at the door. Her stomach started to cramp as she wondered who it was. Deep down she hoped it was Kana, turning up to explain what had happened last night. She swung open the door to see Hiro standing in front of her, smiling widely, but with dark circles under his eyes.

"Hello Lillian!" he said brightly.

"Hello there, Hiro. I'm surprised you're not still in bed!" Lillian grinned.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny Lillian. Just so you know I am fine thank you very much! Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to join me and Nori for lunch? I have the day off and Nori is going to meet us at Yun's to eat… if you would like to come along that would be wonderful!"

Lillian really didn't feel like going into the village today. She couldn't shake her growing frustration with Kana and Reina. But seeing Hiro so happily ask her to come out softened her.

"Sure Hiro, I'd like that a lot. Shall we go?" Lillian asked as she pulled the door shut behind her.

"Your farm is really starting to look good! Your crops look so healthy!"

"Thanks Hiro. I haven't messed up my farm too badly yet, at least." Lillian breathed in and paused as she looked over at Kana's shop. It was empty and she relaxed. Hiro followed her line of sight and raised an eyebrow at Lillian.

"So where did you and Kana go last night? I remember looking for you and ending up at the base of the mountain."

"You remember that, huh?" Lillian giggled, "I didn't think you'd remember much."

"Well you are wrong about that!" Hiro smiled. "Seriously though, what were you up to?"

Lillian met Hiro's eyes. "I wasn't feeling very well. I hadn't eaten much that day and the music and noise was making me feel queasy. Kana wouldn't let me go for a walk myself in case something happened to me again so he came with me."

Hiro still had one eyebrow raised. "Kana said that too, when I asked him about it this morning. Just so you know… I do not believe either of you."

Lillian laughed. "Hiro put your eyebrow down, you're going to get wrinkles down one side of your face."

As they passed the clinic, they could see Nori standing outside the Tea House. "I'm so glad you came Lillian! I was really hoping you would!"

Nori had always been good at cheering people up and Lillian's heart lifted as she was met with a hug.

"Let's go and eat, I have to get back to Grandpa after lunch."

As they walked through the door they were greeted by the smells of exotic spices; cardamom, ginger and curry mingled together and made Lillian realise how hungry she was.

"What good timing, Kana is here too!" Hiro exclaimed as they approached the counter.

Kana turned around and smiled at Hiro before turning to Lillian. "Hey Yun, I might actually get that to go today, thanks," he said with a sigh and he watched the little lady package his order carefully.

"Won't you join us, Kana? We are just going to have lunch together…"

"Nah, it's normally my day off but I took on an extra job today," he said as he paid Yun and thanked her. As he passed Lillian he shot her a look full of hurt.

Lillian enjoyed her time with Hiro and Nori. She learnt that Nori still took care of her grandfather and helped him run his shop and their fields but that she had also started her own business making clothing and fabrics. Hiro meanwhile had been studying medicine since he graduated high school and hoped to one day be able to work as a fully-fledged doctor in Konohana. Talking to them was easy, and the food at Yun's was amazing.

After they had finished their meals, Hiro stood up. "I will pay for lunch today, it is what a gentleman would do, after all!"

"Hiro, maybe a gentleman would only take out one beautiful woman instead of two?" Ayame suggested as she walked past their table.

"Ayame, you always embarrass me..." Hiro trailed off as Nori and Lillian giggled.

As they left the Tea House, Lillian hugged both of them. "Thanks for inviting me out. It was really nice of you."

"Come on Nori, I will escort you back," Hiro said, holding out one arm.

"What about Lillian..?" Nori asked, her eyebrows creased.

"I have stuff to do here before I go home," Lillian answered for Hiro, who seemed to be struggling with words.

Nori held Hiro's outstretched arm gently. "See you later, Lillian!"

Hiro looked back at Lillian and mouthed "thank you" before turning around to walk with Nori.

_Hiro and Nori. Who'd have thought it?_ Lillian thought to herself with a smile.

She wasn't sure of what to do now, so she crossed the river and went to sit in the grove to enjoy the Spring sunshine. Part of her wanted to ask Kana what was going on. She hadn't forgotten the look he had given her before. He looked so hurt and… sad. Kana didn't get sad and it upset Lillian to think it was because of her.

She looked up at the cherry blossoms above her. The smell was so sweet; she closed her eyes and let it envelop her.

"Are you okay, Lillian?"

Lillian gasped and drew her gaze down. "Oh, Reina! You startled me!"

"Sorry… you were just zoned out… what's wrong?"

Lillian looked at Reina, unsure of what to say. She had always found Reina to be an exceptionally beautiful woman. She had fine features, large blue eyes and long black hair that she always styled exotically into three plaits. She was slender but very feminine.

"Lots of things are wrong, Reina." Lillian frowned.

Reina moved closer to her. "Are you upset with what I said yesterday?"

"Yes."

Reina lightly brushed the hair out of Lillian's eyes with her fingers. "I am sorry, you know. I was talking without thinking."

Lillian sighed. "You weren't wrong, Reina. But you didn't have to be so harsh."

Reina grabbed Lillian's hand and looked at her with wide eyes. "I need to tell you something before you hear it from anybody else."

Lillian's throat felt as though it dropped into her stomach. Nothing good had ever come after those words.

"What is it?" Lillian asked, staring into Reina's eyes.

Reina breathed deeply. Lillian couldn't help but notice her chest rising and falling rhythmically.

"Not long after I found out you were moving back here, I…" Reina looked over her shoulder to check they were alone. "I tried to hook up with Kana."

Lillian's eyes narrowed and she took her hand away from Reina's. "What do you mean by 'hook up'?"

"At the Snow Festival last year, I told him I wanted to be with him and I tried to kiss him."

Lillian rubbed her forehead as pain had started shooting across it. She saw tears had started to build up in Reina's eyes. She breathed out carefully. "What happened after that? Did you sleep with him?"

Reina shook her head and tears slowly fell down her cheek. She wiped them with the back of her sleeve. "He stopped me from kissing him before I even got near him. Nobody saw anything, but I haven't been able to be near him since. I'm sorry, Lillian. I should have told you."

Lillian stared at her feet. She felt like throwing up. She looked at her friend who had tears running down her cheeks. Reina looked stunning even when she was a mess.

"It's none of my business what you did." Lillian sighed and kept looking at her boots. They really needed a shine. "I think most of all, I wish you had have told me that you were interested in Kana as well. I can only imagine how much I must have hurt you by telling you so much over the years."

Reina eyes widened. "You're not mad with me?"

Lillian shrugged. "Kinda. But I know it isn't fair to be. It's not like he was my boyfriend or anything when you did it."

Lillian looked at Reina. Part of her wanted to slap her across the face while part of her wanted to hold her close.

"Reina. I have known you a long time and we've been through… and done… a lot of stuff together. But I never even suspected you were interested in Kana enough to ask him out…"

"I'm not." Reina's breathing was slowing.

"So why did you do all that?"

Reina licked her lips. "Look. I always thought Kana was hot. I'm pretty sure every girl here _and_ in Bluebell thinks that. It's hard not to have something of a crush on him. But…" now Reina was staring at Lillian's shoes. "If I was with Kana, it would mean you wouldn't be."

"Reina, I don't understand."

"Lillian… my crush on you is much bigger than my crush on Kana. You were the only two people here I'd even considered dating in this village."

Lillian turned red immediately. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I thought I had. Don't you remember living together at university, when I kissed you? Maybe that was a mistake for you, but it wasn't for me."

"Reina… I just thought…" Lillian sighed. She felt like since she moved back to Konohana all she had done was sigh. "Why are you telling me all this now anyway?"

"I'm getting sick of pretending to live with hatred when I don't really feel it. It's been so hard being around either of you, especially Kana. Besides…" she drew breath sharply. "I actually think you and Kana were made for each other. You're the reason he rejected me. He told me so."

They sat in silence as Lillian moved her thumb across Reina's cheeks, wiping away the last of her tears. The afternoon shadows had grown long. Lillian gasped as she noticed Kana and Mako head towards them from Mako's Orchard.

"Good afternoon girls!" Mako loudly announced. "Kana has been helping me prune my trees today, as I hurt my back on the way home last night and was bed-bound today. Good man!" he said as he patted Kana on the back.

Everybody was silent.

"Reina I am heading to the Tea House for dinner, please join me, won't you?" Mako asked and Reina quickly nodded.

"See you later, Lillian," Reina said as she stood up and smoothed her skirt.

Lillian said nothing as Kana sat down beside her. He wore the same expression he had given her earlier and took the same interest in Lillian's shoes that both the girls had before.

She just stared at him. "You heard everything, didn't you?"

Kana nodded. "Yep. Listen… I don't care about anything I heard… But…" he paused and looked right into her eyes. "I really don't know how to act around you, Lillian."

Lillian ran her hand through her hair. "Kana, today you've acted as though you hate me. Last night you acted as though you love me. I really don't know what's going on."

"I don't want to be in love with you again, Lillian." Kana was now looking up into the blossom of the trees.

"You don't have to be. Listen, I'm heading home, I'll see you later," she said as she stood up, lightly scratching the length of her neck.

Kana sat with slumped shoulders and watched her leave the grove. "Lillian, wait." He jogged over to Lillian, who was now on the bridge near the Tea House. "Hear me out, please?"

She saw his sad eyes and nodded. They sat down and hung their legs off the side of the bridge. Lillian started swinging hers slowly.

He breathed in deeply. "I never left you on the mountain on your 18th birthday. I turned up but didn't show when I heard you and Reina approach the summit."

Lillian placed her hand onto his. "It's okay Kana, I know."

Kana looked confused, then his face relaxed. "Hiro told you, huh?"

"Yeah, he did." She removed her hand.

Kana nodded. "I didn't want you to come back here. I wanted you to see the world, to experience other things. And…" he looked at her and saw her looking into the water. "I didn't want you to ever regret being with me, because I knew I would hold you back from a whole other world that you got to know."

Lillian met his gaze and slowly nodded. "But then why can't you stand having me back here?"

"Because I don't want you to stay here. You are way too smart to be stuck here forever. You should be doing much more than just growing crops."

"Kana, I love Konohana. This is where I want to be, regardless of whether or not you are here too. I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon."

She realised Kana had started smiling. "I'm sorry I kissed you last night," he said. "I've felt like a jerk since it happened. I didn't want you to think that was the only reason I wanted you to come out so bad."

Lillian giggled and it made Kana smile more. His smiled faded as he said, "Reina was right. I did reject her because of you."

"Then stop being a jerk to me, huh?" Lillian blushed in reply.

"Deal. But it's another reason why I couldn't stay with you last night. As harsh as Reina has been lately, I couldn't hurt her like that. Although I guess you'd be the one hurting her more, huh?" He stopped talking when he noticed Lillian had gone a shade of scarlet he had never seen on her before. "Listen, I really have to get back and feed the horses… it's starting to get dark. But we're good, right?"

"Yeah, we're good, Kana," Lillian said as she took Kana's hand to help her stand up. As they walked back to Kana's house, the smell of hay grew stronger.

"Do you think I could see Hayate, Kana?" Lillian asked as they got to his house.

He thought about it. "Right now isn't great… it's just that it's gotten kinda late and I need to feed her and… she's getting too old to be up too late, y'know? But I reckon after the Cooking Festival tomorrow you definitely should!"

"I wonder if she remembers me?" Lillian thought aloud.

"I reckon she probably will! So I'll see ya tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. I should go home and practice some recipes."

"Sweet." Kana smiled at her, and silence lingered on the air between them. "Lilly… I'm glad you're staying here."

"Me too Kana." She wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands around her waist, pulling her close. "See you tomorrow," she said as she pulled away from him.


	6. Chapter 6: Somebody That I Used To Know

Chapter Six: Somebody That I Used To Know

Lillian had spent most of the night thinking about what Kana had told her the day before. She tried to focus on making a dish for the cooking festival. She had felt bad for not being able to participate in the last one, as she'd been in hospital, so she was trying to make a winning soup to make up for it. While she was cooking all she could think about were Kana's words: "I don't want to be in love with you again, Lillian." Since arriving in Konohana only a couple of weeks ago she had been forced to question why she had returned to her childhood home and what she actually felt about the Kana she used to know compared to the one she was getting to know. Every time she thought she was getting closer to answers she kept feeling more and more confused. She really wanted to know why Kana would tell her that.

All of this was racing through her mind as Pierre announced the results. Bluebell had won, despite the best efforts of Yun and Nori. Lillian knew her dish wasn't wonderful, but she had at least competed. The Bluebell spectators cheered loudly, while those from Konohana politely applauded them. Once Pierre left the mountaintop, much to Lillian's surprise, other villagers started piling plates of food onto the contest tables.

Ina laughed as she saw Lillian's furrowed brow and headed towards her. "We don't go home after the cooking festival anymore!" she placed her arm around Lillian's shoulders. "Instead, we all bring food and both villages share and enjoy! Rutger and I thought it may be a way to bring some peace between Konohana and Bluebell."

"Oh!" Lillian suddenly felt awkward. When she had lived in Konohana, nobody ever spoke to anybody from Bluebell and the only time villagers in the towns even saw each other was during the cooking festivals. "Ina, I don't even know anyone from Bluebell…"

Ina smirked. "You're not going home early, Lillian! They're generally nice folk. You'll be fine!" She gave Lillian a reassuring smile and left her to make sure Rutger and Rose were enjoying themselves.

Lillian didn't really feel like socialising. She would have preferred to go home and have a nap. She headed over towards Reina who was gathering a plate of food and she noticed Kana talking and laughing with a very pretty brunette who she didn't recognise.

"Your soup was pretty good Lillian, even if we didn't win today," Reina said, smiling at her.

"Thanks Reina," she replied, drawing her eyes away from Kana. "I'm glad you came to cheer us on."

Reina blushed slightly. "To be honest, I didn't really want to. Ina came over to make sure I was going to… so I kinda had to. Um… not that I'm not enjoying my time, or anything!"

Lillian chuckled. "I understand. I wouldn't mind going home either. But it's so hard to say no to Ina…"

"That's for sure! Anyway, I'm just going to give Mako his lunch, I'll be around okay?"

"No problem!" Lillian said as she watched her friend walk away. Although there were lots of people around, Lillian felt alone. She kept looking over at Kana and the girl and started feeling sick seeing how much they enjoyed each other's company. She stood against a tree and forced herself to watch the clouds instead of Kana.

"I should have known," came a voice from a figure which moved to stand beside her. "That when Kana ordered a bunch of daffodils, they'd be for you."

Lillian looked over at the man next to her, and even with his purple cap drawn over his face she knew who he was.

"Cam!" Lillian threw her arms around him, and he drew her in, holding her sides tightly. "What are you doing here?" she exclaimed as she stepped back from him, and he moved his cap away from his face.

"I live in Bluebell. Rutger kind of made me turn up today. Why are you here? Don't you still live in the City?"

"I moved back to Konohana not long ago. I had no idea you came from Bluebell."

Cam shrugged. "Guess we're both full of surprises when we want to be. I didn't know you were from Konohana, either." He looked over at Kana, who was still talking with the girl. "So… is Kana the guy you left me for?"

Lillian scowled. "Cam, you know it wasn't like that." She blushed slightly as he raised an eyebrow at her. Cam was very good at reading people and at times it unsettled Lillian. "Well you have to know it wasn't that easy, at least."

Cam smirked. "I wouldn't worry about Georgia by the way. Laney tried setting her and Kana up not long ago. They only went on a couple of dates, and they weren't anything special. They're just friends."

"For a guy who hates gossip, you sure know a lot of it, huh?" Lillian teased, her smile returning now she knew Kana wasn't interested in Georgia.

Cam ran his hand across his head. "Ughh. Living with Laney and Howard you can't _help_ but know everything. They don't shut up about everyone…"

Lillian laughed. "Sure, that's it Cam."

He smiled at her. "Well if nothing else, Kana must care about you in some way. Those daffodils were really expensive but he insisted on getting them because they're your favourite. Which is why I should have known they were for you. Nobody else really likes them around here because they aren't native to this area so I don't bother getting them in normally… I had to make a special trip to the City for them."

Lillian blushed, both at the thought of Kana doing something special for her and for Cam making such an effort to get them. The two stood in silence for a while, watching the other villagers mingle. Eventually a man who looked slightly younger than them came over. He had strawberry blonde hair and big greyish eyes.

"Hey Cam, I'm heading back early if you wanna come with me and Cheryl. I've been a bit worried about my chickens so I'm gonna keep a close watch on them this afternoon to see what's been stressing them out." He went quiet when he noticed Lillian. "I'm Ash!" he said, holding his hand out to her, with a friendly smile.

"I'm Lillian," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Wait… Lillian?" he glanced sideways at Cam, who nodded at him. "Um… nice to finally meet you. I've heard much about you."

"Same to you Ash. It's nice to put a face to your name." He smiled at her, but it was a less easy smile than the one he had given her to begin with. It made Lillian feel uncomfortable as she wondered what exactly he had heard about her.

Cam scratched the side of his neck. "Yeah, I will come back with you. I have a lot of study to catch up on today." He ran his hand down Lillian's arm. "Would you like to come to Bluebell and hang out, Lillian?"

Lillian blushed. "Maybe another time hey? I probably should stick around seeing as this is my first cooking festival since being back."

Cam nodded. "That's fine. It was good seeing you, though."

"You too, Cam."

He hugged her as Ash turned towards the crowd. "Georgia! We're heading back early, wanna come with us?" he yelled.

Georgia stood up and walked towards them. "No need to yell there, partner! I'd be happy to come back with you!" She waved at Kana and shot a knowing smile at Lillian. "Nice to finally… almost… meet you Lillian!" she said as Ash grabbed her hand and started heading back towards Bluebell.

Cam shook his head. "Ash gets impatient. Anyway, I'll see you soon, I hope."

Lillian nodded as Cam raced down the hill to catch up to the others. She returned to her spot against the tree to sit down and think about what had happened. As strange as it had been seeing Cam again, she also realised that it was under this tree that she and Kana had shared their first kiss. She saw Kana coming over to her and she could feel her heartbeat speeding up. He sat down beside her, with his knees bent.

"I bet I know what you're thinking about," he said as he pulled out blades of grass and started tearing them apart slowly.

"What do you reckon?" Lillian asked, wondering if he actually knew.

"Probably that we had our first kiss right here. It's what I've been thinking about all day anyway," he nervously laughed.

Lillian's eyes widened. "You too, huh?" she said, looking at the small pile of grass Kana had pulled up.

He nodded his head. "It's what I think about every time I come here." He stopped playing with grass and moved his hand through his hair as he said, "I see you're pretty close to Cam, huh?"

"What makes you say that?" Lillian asked, avoiding his eyes.

"Cam hugged you. Cam doesn't hug _anybody_. So what's the go there?"

Lillian shifted her position. She didn't really want to answer the question. "We used to date," she mumbled.

Kana nodded. "I kinda figured so." He held his legs tightly. "Is he part of the reason you moved back?"

Lillian shook her head. "No, not at all… I had no idea at all he lived in Bluebell."

Kana tilted his head and looked into her eyes. "How long did you see each other for?

"Not quite a year."

"Wow… so why did you break up?" His voice was gentle. "I mean, you don't have to tell me…"

"It's fine… I mean there were lots of reasons. He started suggesting that he move to the City because as it was we were only seeing each other three days a week and that way we could get more serious." She sighed as she remembered him asking her if she would live with him. "But the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't. There had always been someone else in my mind and it just didn't feel right. I think we were too similar for it to work."

"I get that. Everybody thought Georgia and I would work out. We lasted only two dates though, not quite a year." He smirked. "But all she'd ever talk about was horses…"

Lillian's giggle interrupted him. "Funny for you to say that, Kana!"

Kana smiled. "Yeah… but that's just it. She has some great ideas and stuff but it was only ever about horses and well… I need somebody who makes me think about other stuff too."

Lillian thought back to when they used to be together. She had known Kana all her life and they'd always gotten along. But it was after she turned 15 that they started talking all the time. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered how they would talk about everything, from horses to music to what life actually meant. Once you got beneath Kana's surface, he had a lot to offer. It was what she had liked most about him, and what she was finding herself liking all over again. Maybe she had known him better than Reina suspected.

Kana licked his lips. "Hey Lillian… d'ya wanna go visit Hayate now?"

"Do you think Ina would mind us leaving early?"

He shrugged. "Probably. But she won't be too mad. People will start leaving pretty soon anyway, the sun's starting to set."

"Then definitely!" Kana stood up and put his hand out. Lillian held it to stand up.

They slipped past the Goddess Pond, back down the hill towards Konohana. Lillian loved how fresh the earth smelled here. It was rich and clean. Once the sounds of the festival had faded, Lillian's stomach started doing flips.

"Kana…"

"Yep?"

She stared at the ground as she walked. "Why did you say you don't want to love me again?"

Kana breathed in deeply before running his hand through his hair. "You remember my Dad, right?"

Lillian thought of Kana's Dad. He looked much like Kana, but with shorter hair, a fairer complexion and bright blue eyes. "Yeah, well… kind of."

"Well, Dad's been travelling around the world for years now, searching for the perfect horse. He pretty much left when I was 16. I ended up looking after the shop and buying it off him when I was 18 because he was never around to look after it. Anyway… you probably don't remember my Mum, because she left when I was only about 8. You'd have only been tiny back then…"

"Where did your Mum go, Kana?" this was something which Lillian had wondered about for years, but it never felt appropriate to ask.

"Mum went back to the town she came from. She's a gypsy, and lived in a camp set up in a town past the City. She's a free spirit, she doesn't like being confined by anything. When she met my Dad and fell pregnant with me, she moved to Konohana with him so they could raise me together. She put up with being here for years but in the end it just wasn't who she was, so she went back to her old camp. She wanted to take me with her but Dad and Mayor Ina convinced her it was better for me to stay here, where I had friends and was getting an education. I still saw her… well I still do when I get the chance. I love my Mum and my Dad, and I think they love each other, but it wasn't gonna work out the way either of them wanted. My Mum loved horses like me and my Dad, and Dad became convinced that by finding the best horse in the world, it'd make my Mum wanna move back with him."

Kana stopped to breathe. "But you don't think it'd work?" Lillian asked.

"Nobody would think it'd work. It's a terrible idea." Kana grimaced. "But my Dad really loves my Mum. Anyway the point of it all is that… I don't wanna end up like my Dad. Going crazy and chasing an impossible dream all across the planet."

Lillian looked at him, confused. "I'm still not _quite_ following you…"

"If I was to fall in love with you again, I don't think you could feel for me what I… could… feel for you. I don't wanna be as sad as my Dad." A small smile crept on Kana's face. "I didn't tell ya this to bum you out. But I want to be honest with you."

Lillian nodded. "I'm glad you did, though."

They approached the village, and all Lillian could think about was how much closer she felt to Kana after hearing that. As they entered Kana's barn, Lillian recognised Hayate immediately. She went over and stroked her soft, brown muzzle.

"She's still so gorgeous, Kana!"

Kana smiled. "She's been well looked-after!" He paused and moved behind Lillian, while she was still patting Hayate. He wrapped his arms under hers, and around her waist. She turned around to face him, and he tightened his hold on her. "Listen…" he said. "The only problem I have with what I said before is that I find it really hard being alone with you."

"Why's that?" Lillian looked into his deep brown eyes and could feel his heart race.

"It isn't fair but… I don't feel I can control myself around you," he whispered into her ear.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he ran his hands down her sides. She looked into his eyes and he bent down and pressed his lips against hers. She ran her hands through his hair as he intensified the kiss, wrapping his tongue around hers, their breaths sharpening.

He pulled away from her and held her hand. "Let's go in here," he said as he led her into the feed-room.

He closed the door and in the half-light, Lillian could see it was mostly filled with hay bales, set up in a series of steps. Kana lifted her onto one, so she was sitting at his eye-level. He moved in towards her, pushing her hair behind her ear and left a trail of kisses from behind her ear, down her neck and towards her collarbone. She had always loved when Kana did this. But it felt different now – _better_. She lifted his head and kissed him deeply, running her hands down his muscular arms. She grabbed his vest and singlet and pulled them up, over his head. She gasped as she saw how muscular his frame had become since she last saw him like this. He was hot. Really hot. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed his hips in towards her. She could feel his bulge against her and it made her want him more. Without breaking their kiss, Kana moved his hand across her covered chest and it made her sigh. He moved his mouth against her shirt and lightly nipped one of her nipples with his teeth, using his hand to gently pinch the other one. He ran his hand along the edge of her shirt, about to take it off when he heard footsteps in the barn.

"Kana? I know you are in here," came Hiro's voice through the door.

"Ignore it," said Kana. Lillian didn't need any convincing as she was moving her hands down Kana's stomach towards the top of his pants.

"Kana. Everybody is coming back from the festival. I really need some advice about what to do with Nori."

Kana groaned, as much for what Hiro had said as for how close Lillian was getting to his bulge. Hiro knocked on the feed-room door. When he got no response, he tried pushing the heavy door open. He only managed to open it enough to let a slither of light in.

Lillian laughed, silently. She whispered, "I think you're gonna have to get that."

Kana groaned. "Okay Hiro, okay. Just give me a sec." He left Lillian, did up his fly, and opened the door just enough to be able to see Hiro.

"Why didn't you just do that to begin with?" Hiro muttered. He looked at Kana, whose body was filling the door frame. "And umm, why haven't you got a shirt on?"

"Sorry, I thought I could do what I wanted in my house, Hiro! What's up?"

"Hang on." Hiro gasped. "Is _Lillian _in there too?" he whispered.

Kana groaned.

"She _is_! So you worked out what you feel for her, huh?"

"Hiro, shut it. Now, what's up with Nori?"

"You know what, it doesn't matter. But yes, everybody is returning pretty much now. If you want to keep this quiet, you probably should head out to the town square and act normal."

"Hiro…" Kana started.

"I won't say anything," Hiro said. "But I am happy for you. I have always thought she was good for you." He had lowered his voice, but Lillian still heard him.

Hiro left and Kana returned to Lillian. She handed him his shirt, but before he put it on he held her waist with his free hand and kissed her deeply. "You're beautiful, Lilly," he said looking squarely into her eyes.

He put his shirt back on and lifted her off the hay. He held her hand and walked her out of the stable. They sat together on the fence and saw the other villagers walking into town.

Ina and Reina were walking together and when they saw Lillian and Kana, they stopped. "Why did you two go so early?"

"Kana promised I could see Hayate today, but we had to get back before it got too dark." Lillian smiled at them and Ina nodded.

"That's fine! I hope you enjoyed the contest today!"

"Yeah, I did! Thanks for letting me compete… even if we lost…"

Ina laughed. "The important thing is that you tried. After all, we _know_ Konohana has the best food anyway." She winked as she left with Reina, who smiled at them without saying anything.

Night was slowly falling upon Konohana.

"I'll walk you home, Lillian." Kana jumped off the fence before lifting Lillian off too.

Once they were away from the village, Lillian slipped her hand into Kana's. He squeezed hers back. When they reached her door, he kissed her gently.

"See ya, Lilly. Thanks for hearing me ramble on about everything today."

"Thanks for being honest with me, Kana," she said as she stood on her tip-toes and kissed him again.

He waited until she was safely inside before walking back home. Lillian wasn't entirely sure why today's events had happened, but it was becoming very clear to her that she still had a lot of feelings left for Kana.


End file.
